“If you have socks, prepare for them to be knocked off”

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Our Next Show

WHEN/

WHERE/The Brindley, RuncornHigh Street, Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 1BG

About the Show

From their humble beginnings in Brooklyn to the dizzying heights of their success in the 50’s & 60’s the songwriting genius of Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield will go down in musical history as one of the most successful partnerships of all time.

It was the summer of 1952 when Neil met Howie for the first time, Neil had won a scholarship to the prestigious Julliard School of Music and could be heard practising for hours in the building where he lived.Howie lived in the same building, and although he was 3 years older, his mother suggested they get together to write songs… Oh! Carol follows their unique story of fame, fortune and those Tra-la-la days.

This show is packed full of hits such as Calendar Girl, Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen, Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, Amarillo, Stupid Cupid, The Diary, Laughter in the Rain and of course Oh! Carol. Their masterpieces were made famous not only by Sedaka but also other well known performers such as Connie Francis, Tom Jones, LaVern Baker and Tony Christie.

“What a wonderful feel good show”

“What a group, what great singers, what enthusiasm”

“Full of energy & great harmonies”

“Great songs & amazing voices”

“Fantastic performances & the band were brilliant”

Cast & Creatives

Damion Scarcella

Oh! Carol is written and conceived by Damion Scarcella. Originally from Australia, Damion is the quintessential front man with an incredible range that delights and impresses with every performance. Damion’s career has seen him appear in some of the most popular Australian and UK productions including Fame, Mamma Mia, Leader of the Pack, The King and I, Zorro and The Mikado and his accolades include a green room nomination for Best Supporting Actor in Shout the Musical. Following these successes, Damion has gone on to record and perform with the acappella group The Flying Pickets, singing in concerts and festivals all over Europe and adding a unique dimension to the line-up. In 2013 Damion made his debut at the world renowned Royal Albert Hall when he was invited to perform as a featured vocalist with the highly acclaimed Kristin Chenoweth. Damion continues to add to his extensive experience and most recently has been recruited to be part of the great British acappella group “The Magnets”.

Sara Louisa Parry

Sara studied singing at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. Her first professional job was in the cast of Les Miserables at the Place Theatre, Manchester and the subsequent tour of the show to Dublin and Edinburgh. She was also a member of the cast in the highly acclaimed 10th Anniversary concert at The Royal Albert Hall in 1995. Other credits include Phantom of the Opera and Evita at Spektrum Theatre Oslo, and the UK Tour of Grease.

Sara Louisa is currently based in London, regularly touring the UK and cruising the ‘high seas’ with a number of popular shows. She is a member of the vocal trio Closer and recently appeared as Widow Corney in Trinity Theatre’s production of Oliver.

Ben Evans

Ben is originally from Swansea, South Wales. He started his career at the age of 8 starring in various commercials before landing his first West End role as Gavroche in Les Miserables (The Palace Theatre). Ben was also invited to be part of the cast at the Les Miserables 10th Anniversary Concert at The Royal Albert Hall. Following this, he went on to play both Oliver and The Artful Dodger in Oliver! at The London Palladium.

Ben is the only actor to have achieved this amazing double feat. Ben was cast in The National Theatre’s UK Tour of Honk! playing the role of ‘Beaky’. Following this, his TV career began to flourish with lead roles in: Casualty, Teachers, Waking The Dead and most notably, creating the role of ‘Charlie Jenkins’ in BBC Wales hit comedy ‘High Hopes’ which he starred in for 6 seasons. Ben then returned to the West End stage in Mamma Mia! (Prince Of Wales) before moving on to play the role of ‘Sam Wise Gamgee’ in The Lord Of The Rings (Drury Lane). After a quick detour to Birmingham Rep Theatre to play ‘Grumpskin’ in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, he landed his dream job, understudying and playing the role of ‘Frankie Valli’ in Jersey Boys (Prince Edward). During this time, Ben took a short break to play the lead role of yet another singing legend, ‘Davy Jones’ in the new Monkees musical ‘Monkee Business’.

RHIANNON SARAH PORTER

Rhiannon made her professional debut in the 25th Anniversary Production of Les Miserables where she covered and played the roles of Fantine and Eponine.

Further credits include: Principle Vocalist for “Musical Starnights – The Best Of The Musicals” European Tour, Principle Vocalist for “The World Of Musicals” in Germany, ’Vampette’ in “Vampirette, The Musical” at The Manchester Opera House, Ensemble/Cover Mary Magdalene in “Jesus Christ Superstar” UK and Australian Arena Tour, Lead Vocalist for “Norwegian Cruise Lines” and ‘Alice Fitzwarren’ in “Dick Whittington” at The Cambridge Arts Theatre.

Rhiannon also performed at The O2 Arena as featured ensemble for “Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert” and can also be heard on the “Les Miz Live!” cast recording.

Belinda Wollaston

Belinda began her acting and singing career in her native Australia and has since worked internationally in musicals, cabaret, television, film and theatre. She is a graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Art and over the course of her career has performed in countries including Taiwan and Korea as well as many productions in London and the UK. Belinda most recently played Judy Garland in Through the Mill at the Southwark Playhouse which is transferring to the West End as Judy!

Other notable performances include, Once We Lived Here, Titanic, Mamma Mia. She has most recently performed in Spitfire Grill at The Union Theatre and The Pianist of Willesden Lane at St. James Theatre.

The Boys in the Band

The Boys in the Band are a big part of the show and we are lucky enough to work with the very best West End Musicians. We are occasionally joined by other musicians as we love a bit of brass!

Between them they have worked on the majority of West End productions including, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Jersey Boys, Cabaret, Little Shop of Horrors, Pirates of Penzance, Buddy, Barnum, Singing in the Rain, Billy Elliott, Sweet Charity, Chicago and Gary Barlow’s new musical The Girls.

Pierce TeePierce is our fabulous Musical Director and Keys player. Keeps everyone under control, including the audience. He will make you shout for more…

Martin LayzellDrums and Percussion, Martin is the undisputed backbone of the band, always has a lovely time as long as he has a cuppa tea and doughnut.

Steve SmithMr Silky Steve is well known for his many Guitars and impressive pedal board. A keen hoarder of ties.

Jerry SallisWe love the smooth sounds from our Bass man. The guy with the accent, wakes up ridiculously early.